Secondhand smoke is believed to be no better for pets than for people, according to a study published in the journal Tobacco Control.

The study found that one in three smokers said they would willingly kick the habit to protect their pet’s health, according to an article about the study in Chicago-based Medill Reports.

The study, done by researchers at Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System Center, found that an overwhelming majority of smoking pet owners would be more motivated to quit if more information on the dangers of second-hand smoke on pets were available.

While research has not been done to prove secondhand smoke effects on pets, recent studies have shown there may be a link, according to the article.

Welcome to Fetch, a column for those of us who can’t imagine life without our pets. A dogblog, so to speak. A catchat, a birdword.

There’s a lot of us, according to the experts.

A 2005-06 survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association showed 63 percent of all U.S. households owning a pet, which equates to more than 69 million households. That’s up from 64 million in 2002 and 51 million in 1988 when tracking began. (There’s a report out for 2007-08, if you want to buy it from American Pet Products Association.

That’s a lot of chewsticks and scratching posts, friends.

I myself am owned by several dogs who graciously let me sleep in their home. To others, they may be common mutts, but to me, they are amazing creatures with distinct personalities.

Travel and OutWest editor Kyle Wagner grew up in Pittsburgh and lived in Lake County, Ill., and Naples, Fla., before moving to Denver in 1993, where she reviewed restaurants for Westword before moving to The Denver Post in 2002. She considers the best days to be those that involve her teenage daughters and doing something outside, preferably mountain biking or whitewater rafting.

Dean Krakel is a photo editor (primarily sports) at The Denver Post. A native of Wyoming, he has authored three books, "Season of the Elk," "Downriver" and "Krakel's West." An avid kayaker, rafter, mountain biker, trail runner, telemark skier and backpacker, Dean's outdoor adventures have taken him around the world.

Douglas Brown was raised about 30 miles west of Philadelphia in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he spent a lot of time running around in the woods and fields (where he hunted and explored), and in the ocean (where he surfed and stared at the horizon). Now he lives in Boulder and spends as much time hiking, running, skiing and boarding the High Country (and the Boulder foothills) as possible.

Ricardo Baca is the entertainment editor and pop music critic at The Denver Post, as well as the founder and executive editor of Reverb and the co-founder of The UMS. Happy days often involve at least one of these: whitewater rafting, snowshoeing, vintage Vespas, writing, camping, live music, road trips, snowboarding or four-wheeling.